A defiant Rep. Steve King confirmed Thursday that he will run for a 10th term as an Iowa congressman, despite controversies over his history of caustic remarks, including about race and immigration.

The Kiron Republican has been criticized by national and state leaders of his own party, has been stripped of committee assignments in Congress and has drawn three primary challengers for the 2020 race.

In a Thursday taping of Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press” program, host David Yepsen asked him: “Are you sorry for anything that you’ve said?”

The "Iowa Press" show is scheduled to air on IPTV at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Criticism of King ramped up in January, after the New York Times quoted him as saying: “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?” U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst of Iowa were among the leading Republicans who criticized the remark. U.S. House Republicans stripped him of his committee posts and the U.S. House members, including King, condemned white nationalism and supremacy.

On the IPTV show Thursday, King portrayed the New York Times passage as a “misquote.” As he has before, he said he was talking about Western civilization, not white supremacy. King blamed his troubles on media outlets, including the New York Times and the Washington Post, which he accused of twisting his words and “weaponizing” the language.

“If you would just hold these publications to what is true, there is no story whatsoever,” he said. “… There’s no part of me that believes in anything that’s advocated by folks that identify themselves as white nationalists or white supremacy.”

Yepsen, a former Des Moines Register columnist, challenged King on his claim the quote attributed to him by New York Times political reporter Trip Gabriel was wrong. “He’s known as a pretty good reporter,” Yepsen told King. “… That’s one of the reasons why this has had such momentum on it.”

King replied: “He can say he’s a respected reporter — and I think he’s a personable fella; that’s probably part of the reason why we had a 56-minute conversation.” But he said Gabriel never produced a recording or transcript of the interview.

“Iowa Press” panelist Erin Murphy, a political reporter for Lee Enterprises, asked King about the effects of being stripped of his committee assignments in Congress after the New York Times story was published. “Is there any way for you to be an effective congressman for the 4th District?” Murphy asked.

King said he doesn’t think being on a committee matters as much for a Republican now that Democrats are running the House.

“If there’s ever going to be a time not to have committee assignments, this time with Nancy Pelosi as the speaker of the House is the time,” he said.

"Iowa Press" panelist Kay Henderson, news director of Radio Iowa, asked King about a small Confederate flag that was spotted on his desk in 2016. Critics say the flag’s presence demonstrated his racism.

King told Henderson he put it there briefly as a sign of his support for free speech amid controversies over whether the Confederate flag could be flown.

“It stayed there for a few weeks. I took it down. It’s not been there since,” he said.

He said his ancestors included abolitionists and a soldier who died fighting against slavery.

“I understand all of this," King said. "Abraham Lincoln — his life was all about saving the Union. I’m about the Union. I’m about the Constitution. I’m about the Bill of Rights.”